Trump Declares IT Emergency Over Foreign Threats; Huawei Blacklisted

President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency to protect U.S. computer networks from attack by “foreign adversaries”.

The U.S. Commerce Department said it was adding the Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies Co and 70 affiliates to its “Entity List”, which bans the Chinese company from buying components and technology from US firms without prior approval from the US government.

The decision would also make it difficult for Huawei to sell products for which it relied on parts from U.S. suppliers.

The Executive Order, Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain, prohibits transactions that involve information and communications technology or services designed, developed, manufactured or supplied by foreign adversaries that pose a threat to America’s national security.

The Department of Commerce will issue regulations within 150 days to establish procedures for reviewing such transactions.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the President is acting once again to protect U.S. national security. “This Executive Order addresses the threat posed by foreign adversaries to the nation’s information and communications technology and services supply chain,” he said in a statement.

Reporting his Executive Order to the Congress, Trump said foreign adversaries are increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in information and communications technology and services, which store and communicate vast amounts of sensitive information, to commit malicious cyber-enabled actions, including economic and industrial espionage against the United States.

The latest action by Washington is big enough to worsen the escalating trade war between China and the United States.

In retaliation to Trump’s recent decision to raise tariffs on approximately $200 billion worth of Chinese goods to 25 percent, China last week announced plans to raise tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S. goods.

Huawei responded to the decision by saying that restricting Huawei from doing business in the U.S. will not make the U.S . more secure or stronger.

“Instead, this will only serve to limit the US to inferior yet more expensive alternatives, leaving the US lagging behind in 5G deployment, and eventually harming the interests of US companies and consumers,” the company said in a statement.